Valve grinding apparatus and grinding elements therefor



May 1965 v. K. SPIROUNIS 3,133,635

VALVE GRINDING APPARATUS AND GRINDING ELEMENTS THEREFOR Filed Jan. 15, 1962 Vmsm 1115,28 0 6y 3,183 635 VALVE GRENDENG APPARATUS AND GRINDING ELEMENTS THEREFQR Vassilios K. Spirounis, 111 Rich Sh, Mattapan, Mass. Filed Jan. 15, 1962, Ser. No. 166,037 10 (Jlaims. (Cl. 51241) The present invention relates to devices for use in grinding a valve seat and the valve therefor when the valve is held in its open position.

While devices in accordance with the invention are well adapted for use in other fields, the invention is herein discussed with particular reference to the servicing of internal combustion engines, especially those of motor vehicles. When the valves of an internal combustion engine need to be ground, they are disconnected and'removed for grinding and, before they are replaced, the seats are ground. While tools are available that enable the valves to be accurately ground as are tools for the grinding of the valve seats, such service necessarily takes considerable time and, accordingly, is relatively expensive.

The general objective of the present invention is to enable valves and their seats to be ground with greater efficiency and economy. This objective is attained by providing a grinding device comprising a holder for attachment to a driver and a grinding element. The grinding element has upper and lower, frusto-conic, grinding faces and consists of complemental sections each having an arcuate portion which, when the sections are assembled, define an axial guide for the valve stem. The element is thus adapted to be assembled about the valve stem, when the valve is held away from its seat. After such assembly, the element is detachably attached to the holder and the element sections are held against relative movement. With a suitable driver, the element may be brought into grinding engagement with the valve seat and its valve, alternately.

A specific objective of the invention is to provide grinding elements which carry on their inner edges arcuate bearings ensuring an accurate fit on the valve stem.

Another specific objective of the invention is to provide sections which have portions which interlock on their assembly.

Another objective of the invention is to provide a holder to which grinding elements can be securely but detachably attached.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown an illustrative embodiment of the invention from which these and other of its objectives, novel features, and advantages will be readily apparent.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a View showing a fragmentary section of an internal combustion engine illustrating a valve held away from its seat with a grinding device assembled about its stern and attached to a holder,

FIGURE 2 is a top plan View of grinding element in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation thereof,

FIGURE 4 is a section taken approximately along the indicated lines 44 of FTGURE 2,

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the grinding element with its sections disconnected, and

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the section retaining ring which also serves to enable the element to be detachably attached to the holder.

The block of an internal combustion engine is generally indicated at it? and is shown as having a valve seat 11 for the valve 12. The stem 13 has, at its lower end, a removable flange 14 engaged by the valve closing spring 15..

In accordance with the invention, a valve 12 is to be held away from its seat 11. A. tool for such purposes is United States Patent 0 3,i83,fi35 Patented May 18, 1965 generally indicated at 15 and has a fixed jaw 17, shown in engagement with the block 10, and a movable jaw 18 pivoted thereto and shown as in engagement with the lower end of the valve stem 13. As the tool 16 is of a commercially available type except for its jaw 18, it is not described in detail other than to note that the jaw 18 is actuated by an adjustable toggle mechanism 19 that remains locked when closed and that the jaw 13 is of such length that it may extend under and engage with the flange 14 when the upper jaw 17 is positioned as suggested in FIGURE 1. By means of the tool 16 or its equivalent, a valve may be lifted and held away from its seat against the action of the valve closing spring with a considerable portion of its stem exposed.

A grinding element, in accordancewith the invention, is generally indicated at 20 and is shown as having an upper frusto-conic grinding face 21 and a lower frustoconic grinding face 22, the pitch of the grinding faces 21 and 22 being the same and appropriate for grinding the valve 12 and the valve seat 11, respectively.

The grinding element 29 consists of two sections 23 and 24 each having ends 23A and 24A provided with an arcuate bearing 25 which, in the assembled element, define a guide accurately fitting and slidably supporting the stem 13. The sections 23 and 24 also are peripherally grooved as at 23B and 24B, respectively, and to ensure alinement' of these grooves and prevent relative axial movement between the element sections, the section 24 has, adjacent its outer end, laterally disposed projections 24C for entry into complementally shaped recesses 23C in the section 23. It is preferred that the sections be sector-like with the section 23 embracing a major arc and the section 24 a minor arc.

While the sections 23 and 24. are held against relative axial movement by these or equivalent means, it is preferable also to provide means positively holding them together, such as the circular band 26 of spring steel, within the annular groove defined by the grooves 23B and 24B. These ends of the band 26 overlap with the inner end having a series of recesses 26A and the outer end having an inwardly disposed, recess-entering projection 263. Such a band is self-locking when its ends are pushed towards each other and may be released by lifting the outer end from the recess in which it is caught. The band 26 is provided with a pair of oppositely located, outwardly disposed pins 27.

A holder 28, preferably having a stem 29 attachable to a power operated driver, has a chamber 30 dimensioned to receive the valve and permit axial movement relative thereto. The chamber 3-0 has an internal shoulder 31 engageable by the upper, outer edge of the element 29 below which it is dimensioned to closely confine the element 2d and is provided with bayonet slots 32 to receive the pins 27.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that, in valve grinding, it is necessary only to so lift and hold the valve away from its seat so as to enable a grinding element to be assembled about its stem and to have vertical relative movement between the valve seat and the valve. The grinding element is then detachably attached to the holder which is then rotated and brought into engagement, alter nately, with the valve and its seat thus to grind them with maximum speed, efiiciency and economy.

I claim:

1. A grinding device for use with a driver in grinding a valve seat and the valve therefor when said valve is held in an open position, said device comprising, in combination, a holder for attachment to said driver and a grinding element including complemental sections each including an arcuate portion, said portions, when said sections are mated, defining an axial guide for the valve stem, said element having upper and lower, frusto-conic grinding faces, said element being detachably attached to said holder and said element sections being held against relative movement.

2. A grinding device for use with a driver in grinding a valve seat and the valve therefor when said valve is held in an open position, said device comprising, in combination, a holder for attachment to said driver and a grinding element including complemental sections each including an arcuate portion, said portions, when said sections arernated, providing a guide bearing slidably fitting said stem, said element having upper and lower, frustoconic grinding faces, said element being detachably attached to said holder and said element sections being held against relative movement.

3. A grinding device for use with a power driver in grinding a valve seat and the. valve therefor when said valve is held in an open position, said device comprising a holder for attachment to said device and having a downwardly opening chamber to receive a valve and dimensioned to enable said holder to be moved axially relative to said valve, and a grinding element including complemental sections each including an arcuate portion,

said portions, when said sections are mated, defining an axial guide for the valve stem, said element having upper and lower, frusto-conic grinding faces, said element being detachably attached to said holder with the lower part of said chamber and said element sections being held against relative movement.

4. A grinding device for use with a power driver in grinding a valve seat and the valve therefor whensaid valve is held in an open position, said device comprising a holder for attachment to said device and having a downwardly opening chamber to receive a valve and dimensioned to enable said holder to be moved axially rcla tive to said valve, and a grinding element including complemental sections each including'an arcuate portion, said portions, when said sections are mated, defining an axial guide for the valve stem, said element having upper and lower, frusto-conic grinding faces, said element being-detachably attached to said holder within the lower part of said chamber, means interconnecting said sections'and holding them against relative axial movement, and means holding said sections together against relative lateral movement.

5. A grinding device for use with a power driver'in said sections are mated, defining an axial guide for the valve stem, said element having upper and-lower, frustoconic grinding faces, and means. encircling said element sections and holdin them together, as a unit and including portions constituting one part of a joint thereby to enable said element to be used with a power driver having a complemental joint part."

7'. .A grinding element for use in grinding a valve seat and the valve therefor when said valve is held in an open position, said element including complemental sections each including an arcuate portion, one major and one minor, said portions, when said sections are mated, de-

fining an axial guide for the valve stem, said element having upperand lower, frusto-conic grinding faces, and means locking said element sections against relative axial movement said locking means including portions constituting one part of a jointthe'reby to enable saidelement to be used with a power driver. having a complemental joint part. i l V 8. A grinding element for use in grinding a valve seat and the valve therefor when said valve is held in an open position, said element including cornplemental sections each including an arcuate portion, said portions, wh n said sections are mated, defining an axial guide for the valve stem, said element having upper and lower frustoconic grinding faces, said element sections including portions intereng agcable to. prevent relative. axial movement, and means to hold said sections together against relative transverse movement.

9. A grinding element for use in grinding a valve seat and the valve therefor when said valve is held in an open position, said element including complemental sections each including-an'arcuate portion, said 'portions, when said sections are mated, defining an axial guideforthe valve stem, said element having upper and lower frustoconic grinding faces, said element sections including means to interconnect them against relative axial movement, saidlsections including peripheral grooves, and a grinding a valve seat and the valve thereforwhen said valve is held in an open position, said device comprising a holder for attachment to said device and having a downwardly opening chamber to receive a valve and dimensioned to enable said holder to be moved axially relative to said valve, and a grinding elementincluding complemental sections each including an arcuate portion, said portions, when said sections are mated, defining anaxial guide for the valve stem, said element having upper and lower, frusto-conic grinding faces, means interconnecting said sections and holding them against relative axial movement, means holding said sections together against relative lateral movement, said last named means and said holder including complemental portions interengageable to detachably attach said element to saidholder, means interconnecting said sections and holding them against relative axial movement, and means holding said sections together against relative lateral movement.

6. A grinding element for use in grinding a valve seat and the valve therefor when said valve is held in an open position, said element including complemental sections each including an arcuate portion, said portions, when ring'within: said grooves interconnecting Lsaid sections against relative transverse movement;

10. A grinding element for use in grinding a valve seat and the valve therefor when said valve is held in an open position, said element including complemental sections each including an arcuate portion, said portions, when said sections are mated, defining an axial guide for the valvestem, saidelement having upper and lower frustoconic grinding faces, said element sections including means to interconnect them against relative axial movement, said sections including peripheral grooves, and a ring within said groovesinterconnecting said sections against relative transverse movement, said ring including 7 oppositely located, outwardly disposed pins.

References Cited by the Examiner LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner;-

FRANK H. BRONAUGH, JOHN' C. CHRISTIE,

' Examiners. 

1. A GRINDING DEVICE FOR USE WITH A DRIVER IN GRINDING A VALVE SEAT AND THE VALVE THEREFOR WHEN SAID VALVE IS HELD IN AN OPEN POSITION, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A HOLDER FOR ATTACHMENT TO SAID DRIVER AND A GRINDING ELEMENT INCLUDING COMPLEMENTAL SECTIONS EACH INCLUDING AN ARCUATE PORTION, SAID PORTIONS, WHEN SAID SECTIONS ARE MATED, DEFINING AN AXIAL GUIDE FOR THE VALVE STEM, SAID ELEMENT HAVING UPPER AND LOWER, FRUSTO-CONIC GRINDING FACES, SAID ELEMENT BEING DETACHABLY ATTACHED TO SAID HOLDER AND SAID ELEMENT SECTIONS BEING HELD AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT. 